3 Boston Red Sox prospects you need to know

The Boston Red Sox farm system has seen plenty of change the past few seasons. The top offensive and pitching prospect were dealt away, and Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers graduated to the bigs.

The Red Sox had a top farm system just s few years back, but that seems like an eternity ago. Let’s take a look at some of the depth on the system.

Bobby Dalbec, 3B

Dalbec continues to shine in a system that is prospect-heavy in third baseman. Rafael Devers claimed his stake at the hot corner, and at 20 years of age, he isn’t going anywhere. Michael Chavis continues to rake on his climb up the ladder. Whether or not he moves to second or stays at third, he proves yet another obstacle in Dalbec’s way.

Still, the thing that stands out about Dalbec is athleticism. He wasn’t merely a pitcher for the University of Arizona in 2016, he was good. Dalbec finished 11-5 with a 2.68 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 95 innings. He had a low-90s fastball as his best pitch, so we know he has the arm for third.

His sophomore campaign as a pro wasn’t as electric as his .386/.427/.674, 13 double, seven home run New York-Penn League debut. Despite slashing .246/.345/.437 with 15 doubles and 13 home runs, he was still a big bat in the Greenville lineup.

Dalbec is a lot more potential than he is production right now. He won’t wow you with his speed, but if he puts together his power stroke he will have some nice numbers. He struck out a ton (37.4 percent) this season, looking a bit lost at times, something that plagued him in his final season at Arizona. He could also use a little more opposite field power, as the righty is almost all pull. There is still a lot to like in young infielder.

Jaleen Beeks, LHP

Beeks had his best season as a pro this year in Double-A. He then handled his promotion to Triple-A pretty well. In a Red Sox system deprived of pitching depth, Beeks performance was a welcomed site.

The 24-year-old righty is quite the enigma. Beeks is merely 5-foot-11 and lacks a truly elite pitch. He does have a four-pitch arsenal, all of which he uses to the same effectiveness. Beeks was never a big strikeout pitcher, but struck out a career-high 9.6 batters-per-nine this season. The problem is his erratic command, still allowing 3.4 walks-per-nine.

Beeks gets by with more deceptions than power, especially with his untraditional delivery. Most see him as a future reliever due to both his build and stamina, but he had plenty of 100-pitch, six-plus inning outings this season.

Once in Pawtucket, Beeks went 6-7 with a 3.86 ERA that was heavily inflated after three poor starts to close out the season. Where Beeks winds up may still be a question mark, but he may be the Red Sox most big league-ready pitching prospect.

Mike Shawaryn, RHP

The righty out of Maryland dominated at Greenville this season. Following a promotion to Salem, Shawaryn still pitched very well, and could be on the fast track next season.

Shawaryn was selected in the fifth round of last year’s MLB Draft. He was known for being a strikeout pitcher, leaving College Park, Maryland as the program’s all-time strikeout leader. That’s exactly what he did this season - struck out batters by the boatload and limited walks to respectable numbers.

He has a three-pitch arsenal highlighted by a slider that is his best out pitch. His fastball works, but velocity has been reported from high-80s to mid-90s with seemingly little consistency. He finished the season strong in Salem. His last four starts spanned 26 innings, and he allowed a mere six runs, striking out 31 and walking six (half of which came in one game).

Shawaryn isn’t a future ace. But in a Red Sox system looking for some nice inning-eating pitching, he shows a lot promise.